Givenchy Womenswear A/W10

Ski and scuba informed this surprising turn from Riccardo Tisci.

Riccardo Tisci has been at Givenchy for five years now and we're not sure whether it was intentional as a turning point to mark his tenure or that he was coincidentally feeling a change in wind but the A/W 10-11 collection marked a significant shift towards clothes that are highly controlled. The dark romanticism of seasons past seem fey when placed next to the ensembles that traversed through ski and scuba in the codes that Tisci has developed. Fair Isle prints are contorted into bodyconscious sweaters that cleverly placed the patterns to create entirely slick inklings of skiwear, enhanced by the neoprene trousers and skirts featuring fold over waistbands.

Encrusted gloves that recalled Michael Jackson won't grip ski poles but add a slant of surprising embellishment. Oversized fur lined duffle coats contrasted delicate sheer lace bodies. The oft-used material of past collections also reappeared on slip dresses that were elongated at the back. The ruffles of the past were also reconfigured into necklines that sat well with these rigorously controlled separates. Deliberately androgynous tailoring ran through the show as the stable force that held all of these elements together.

Dazed Digital: What prompted this sportswear-inspired collection?Riccardo Tisci: It was from ski to scuba, the top part of the world to the bottom. When I was researching, I was trying to make a ski jumper from the 20s in an optical way. Then using super technical neoprene material for embroidery. You can't invent anything but you can mix and get a new combination.

DD: Is this a new direction for Givenchy?Riccardo Tisci: Completely. It's a change...the music, the casting, the make-up... we used a real mix of girls too - black, Chinese, Japanese...

DD: There was a real energy to the show.Riccardo Tisci: Yeah, after five years, you love what you're doing but you want to get excitement and that's the only way to move on.